Friday, 11 May 2012

Playing 20 Questions with Verity Ant!

EM: Welcome to
My World, Verity. Thank you so much for stopping by to play twenty questions with me :-)

Before we
begin, could you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Verity and
I'm a sucker for BDSM romance. I write under the name Verity Ant and as part of
the D. V. Ant writing team (with my Dom, Derek Ant). I like to explore
Sado-Masochism in an organic way, taking it to new levels of both intimacy and
pain. My goal is to bring to life a fantasy of control, will, redemption and
acceptance in interesting, idealized characters. There has to be a strong
romantic element as an envelope for the edgy, action-oriented plot.

I live in a full-time, D/s relationship as the submissive partner and have been
active in the BDSM community for about 20 years. When I write about BDSM, it's
from a basis of experience and real-world application.

EM: Are you
ready to play 20 questions? *Rubs hands together*

VA: Only if you're ready
for my honest answers.

EM: I am indeed. :-)

Which do
you find harder to write?

1. First
person POV or Third?

First person is definitely harder
for me to write. Although I tend to be an open book about my BDSM experiences
in real life (as you can plainly tell from my tell-all blog, Painful Ecstasy),
for some reason writing a first person story is too intimate for me. I wrote a
short story with elements of first person as diary entries and, while I enjoyed
the results, I found it difficult to do. That story is "His Good
Girl," serialized on Painful Ecstasy.

2. As a
male or female?

As a male. I don't pretend I know
exactly how men think. My books tend to be balanced, however, between male and
female POV, and I owe male POV accuracy to my partner, Derek.

3.
Beginning, middle or end of the story?

Middle. I work very hard to avoid a
"mushy middle."

4. Fight
scenes or smex scenes?

Fight scenes are hard for me, as I'm
more a lover than a fighter. Once again, I rely on my co-writer for
choreography of those kinds of scenes. I write 'em and he corrects them when I
make the characters do impossible things. I have the vision for them, but Derek
has a more practical turn of mind.

5.
Synopsis or blurb?

The synopsis for my books tends to
go on and on. I have to write it and then edit a lot out.

As a
writer, do you prefer:

6. Writing
in the morning, afternoon or evening?

I write in the afternoons. The
mornings are spent doing promotions and blogging (which is also a form of
promotion). My evenings are spent watching sports on TV and doing routine
writing-related emailing.

7. Writing
with music, or in peace?

Total silence. Not long ago, there
was an air conditioner malfunction in the building next door to my apartment
and I thought I'd go nuts with the noise. It got fixed within a few days of my
complaining, but those were very tough days spent with headphones on. Oddly
enough, however, every one of my characters has a favorite song, band or
composer. Music is important to me as part of the overall sensual experience I
try to evoke in my books. I was totally thrilled when I found a producer who
included an original score in the Master'sHunt trailer.

8.
Planning, or Improvising?

I'm a plotter, though not a thorough
one. I write the A to B to C plot out in chapters without the nitty-gritty
details. I leave those details for the draft since that's what makes it fun for
me to write. My characters do not run off with the plot, however. I crack the
whip (so to speak) to keep them in line.

9.
Juggling a few projects, or concentrating on one at a time?

Well, I prefer focusing on one
project at a time, but because of the nature of having two professional pen
names, I am often juggling two sets of priorities.

10.
Sticking to one genre, or exploring many?

I used to write in several genres
under my alternate name, but these days I'm focused on two--one as Verity and
one as…the mysterious "other."

As a
reader, do you prefer:

11. Story
being told from female view or male?

I like a mix of both male and female
POV. I want to understand how men think, even though it might not be
particularly accurate in many books. And, of course, I want to relate to the
female characters as well because that makes them more sympathetic.

12. Good
guys or bad boys?

Definitely bad boys. My recent
release, Master's Hunt, is about a
bad boy and when I read, I love to hate a bad boy's arrogance or sexism. If
it's written with some contrasting humor or playfulness in his naughty
character, that makes it even better.

13. Feisty
females or fragile damsels?

Finding a fragile damsel character
in a romance or BDSM novel these days is like finding a dragon's egg. They
don't come around much anymore. As a reader, I enjoy well-rounded characters
that are relatively realistic. Kick-butt women who beat up men twice their size
consistently make me shudder.

14. Stand
alone stories or series?

I prefer series. Knowing that a
truly talented writer has more books on offer is a delight.

15. Quick
reads or long stories?

I'm not a fan of quick reads,
though, if I'm really into a novel of any length, I make quick work of it.

16.
Romance as a side dish or the main course?

Romance has to be the over-arching
theme in a book for me, with notable exceptions: Dean Koontz, Lincoln &
Child, Jim Butcher, and Barry Eisler come to mind. The action of the plot is
important (too much navel-gazing is boring for me), but I consider romance to
be the foundation for the majority of what I read.

17.
Erotica or soft romance or something in-between?

Erotica holds my interest more, if
it's done well. Bad sex scenes are too comical for me to take the rest of the
book seriously. When I write my erotica, I try to keep this experience as a
reader in mind. I don't like books that are all sex and no character
development or non-sexual plot. They have their place, no mistake, but they're
not for me as a reader.

18. More
action or humour?

There should be a mix of action and
humor, though as I think about it, I prefer to read action-oriented plot lines
over humor. If either is missing, however, it's not a good book for me.

Demons are far more interesting. I
think it relates back to that love of bad boys I spoke of earlier.

What are
you currently working on?

I'm in the early stages of the next
Master of Two book, tentatively titled Master
of Inspiration. It takes a historical event and puts a modern-day twist on
it. (It's not time travel. It's a contemporary, erotic, BDSM romance like Master's Hunt.)

Do you
have any current release?

The most recent release is Master's Huntwhich was published by No
Boundaries Press in April.

Blurb:

Kevin, Renee,
and Amiko love each other. Like the triangle—the strongest geometric
configuration—their love is both simple and complex, made more complex,
perhaps, by the BDSM nature of their sexuality. Kevin is the apex of their
union, a sexual sadist and dominant personality. His women, both intelligent
and attractive, are submissive, but only to him. He would never harm them, but
Kevin, driven by the narrow focus of his sexuality, finds pleasure in
inflicting sexual pain in a controlled manner, rewarding good behavior with
pleasure.

When Amiko is
stolen from their triad, kidnapped by a crazy woman who fancies herself in love
with the Asian beauty, both Kevin and Renee are beside themselves with concern
for her welfare. They need to find Amiko before something ugly happens to her.
From captivity, Amiko tries to help them, but her trail of “breadcrumbs” might
just get her into more trouble than she is already in.

Kevin’s
forceful nature demands that he take charge of the search and rescue operation.
Renee’s love for her sister-in-spirit compels her to accept danger. Amiko must
be saved. Any other outcome, the ruin of their carefully nurtured triad, simply
cannot be borne.

The artificial waterfall was
sweetly serenading, the water in the pool gently lapping the charcoal
marble-tiled sides, as Renee and Kevin rocked in the shallow end. Their breaths
mingled as they kissed, tongues testing for resistance and finding only
welcome. She felt his hips between her legs, there in the softly illuminated
water, and stars twinkled at her as she broke from his lips and tilted her head
back. He stroked in and out of her firmly, rocking Renee’s body with each
thrust as his hands worked the turgid points of her breasts with increasing
intensity. The combination of senses was heady. She moaned, and, as she turned
her head, her delicate lover, Amiko, leaned in and took her liberated lips with
her own, sharing the lingering taste of the man’s bourbon-flavored tongue. Deceptively filigreed, tight gold nipple clamps on Amiko’s small, perfect
breasts rubbed against Renee’s shoulder as the women pressed together to kiss.
Amiko squirmed on the deck, so close to Renee; close, but not quite close
enough for the redhead’s growing ardor. She longed to touch as well as kiss.

Kevin’s strokes within her
increased in force and his fingers tortured her nipples mercilessly. Renee knew
he was in his zone, that glorious place she could see in his eyes at these
moments. She heard her own small moans punctuating her pants and gasps and
cringed as the pain in her nipples shot through her body and settled deep in
her womb. She had no control over the responses he wrested from her. Each time
Renee moaned, Amiko made an answering sound, her own fingers intent on their
masturbatory goal there between her pale legs.

When Renee cried out sharply
at the pain in her breasts, incoherently begging for more, Kevin moved his
hands to her ass and, gripping those cheeks with hard, hard fingers, he
pistoned as deeply and violently as he could between her splayed legs.

The pain between her legs
from the force of his rough entry was considerable, but Renee would have
nothing less. She wanted every sensation, from the pain there, through the
lingering ache of her nipples, to the warm Santa Ana winds in her hair, and the
sweet scent of Amiko’s wet center not far from Renee’s face.

Kevin’s exertions shone on
his strongly hewn features as a light sheen of moisture and a burning heat from
his body, even in the cool water, but it was the focus in his eyes that
compelled Renee to greater heights. His gray eyes were gun barrel dark, moving
from Renee to Amiko, then back again. He was drinking in the moment and Renee
reveled in it.

Great interview! Verity was on The Author's Corner on trianglevarietyradio.com with me last nite...and I'm slogging thru tons of emails/phone calls...everyone loved her honesty..I love her writing, too!

Aww, Elaine, thank you very much. It's nice to know I didn't make an ass of myself. LOL Your show was a lot of fun. Between all the questions from Elizabeth and you, I might get a swollen head. Nah...Derek will make sure I don't. :)

Feel free to contact me or Derek if you have questions. Either of us would be happy to help. You can find all our contact info on our blog: http://painful-ecstasy.blogspot.com. It sounds like your book may have much in common with Master's Hunt. Thank you for commenting.

I have works through Sizzler! Cool! Switching isn't my kink (you probably know that from my own blog and the material here), but it sure works for a lot of people! Good luck with your story and the expanded novel. Sizzler is an excellent imprint. My books there are Breaking Toys and Pucker. Breaking Toys is a Platinum Edition because it was a bestseller.

I really meant to comment earlier today but the day just got away from me.

Interesting and intriguing interview as was the radio show last night! When I'm not reading some kind of romance, Dean Koontz is my go to guy! Lightning is my absolute of his books. I've read it so many times that I've lost count. Son #2 has been trying to get me to read Butcher's Codex Alera books for months and Hubby's been on my act to read Game of Thrones. Too many books and not enough time. The story of my life.

Really good interview. I loved the 20 questions interview. I can understand trying to keep your 2 writing genres separate, but can you tell us just what the genre you write in? Is there any genre that you have not written that you would like to try?June

Thanks for your kind words, June. Elizabeth gave me good questions and made me look good. :) As for other genres... I wish I could write thrillers. I'm getting closer. Master's Hunt definitely had a thriller thing going, but I would like to perfect that a little more. Thank you for your thoughtful comment.